CCC-Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment sign historic MOU to expand bilateral trade and investment

A historic MOU was signed virtually on Monday by Manjula de Silva, CEO of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and Sayed Zaman Hashemi, CEO of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, witnessed by M. Ashraf Haidari, Ambassador for Afghanistan in Sri Lanka. 

The CCC with a view to build a mutually beneficial relationship with the Afghan Chamber and to promote friendly and cordial relations between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, signed this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment.   

The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment is the representative body of the industrial and commercial entities of Afghanistan established with an objective of increasing the trade flow through creating business opportunities and improving the business climate for the private sector, the CCC said in a media release. 

"We have similar objectives and we enter into an alliance with Afghan Chamber in order to promote the private sector business entities to become reciprocal partners and to extend all support, cooperation and assistance to each other for the overall benefit of both countries" said Mr. Manjula de Silva.  

Signing of the virtual MOU was initiated by M. Ashraf Haidari, Ambassador for Afghanistan in Sri Lanka as a result of a series of discussions held since 2019.  The MOU provides for the establishment of a Sri Lanka - Afghanistan Trade Desk within both chambers, helping implement shared commercial goals.  

“I am delighted to witness the fruition of our shared hard efforts over the past year to sign this historic MOU between our two Chambers of Commerce, which I have no doubt will work together, in partnership with our two Embassies here and in Kabul, to foster and deepen commercial ties between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka,” commented Ambassador Haidari.
The CCC has already signed 130 Memoranda of Understanding to expand and further strengthen strong relationships with overseas trade promotion organisations for the benefit of business community in Sri Lanka.